3D, Drone, Photography, Floorplans, and More

As a top seller’s agent in the U.S. I’ve found it essential to stay on top of all the real estate technology that helps my clients sell their homes faster and for more. We regularly research and write reports on what actually causes homes to sell across the country, what technology is making a difference and what isn’t moving the needle.

If you’re thinking of selling your home in the next twelve months, Stephen would love to tour your home. Call today to set an appointment.

Stephen FitzMaurice, Realtor
4% Max. to Sell a Home
Cancel Anytime Policy
Licensed Since 2003
503-714-1111

If you’re considering buying a home in the next twelve months, Kami Price, buyers specialist would love to hear what you’re looking for. Call today to set an appointment.

Kami Price, Realtor
Represented Hundreds of Buyers
Licensed since 2004
503-773-0000

Virtual Home Staging – A New Way to Sell Homes

August 14, 2023

Each year we write a report on home staging, how much it costs, what kind of ROI to expect when you hire a professional stager, and more. We’re turning our attention to virtual staging now, a newer way to sell a home that’s quickly growing in popularity. Along the way, we’ll show some real life examples of virtual staging we’ve ordered for our clients (and we always provide this service – if desired and it makes sense for the home – at no extra charge). See everything we do for our home selling clients here, along with our lower than average commission charge. While there is a bit of controversy in the staging industry about the authenticity of virtual staging,...

Which 3D Home Tours Sell Homes Faster and For More Money?

September 2, 2022

It makes sense that in this day and age, 3D home tours on real estate listings positively impact home sales. But just how much they do may surprise you. In this article, we’re looking at national studies to shed some well-supported light on the subject of real estate technology. While professional photography, virtual staging, and floorplans are all important tools be to considered and used when selling a home in modern times, we’re focused on the rise of 3D virtual tours here. After reading, we think you’ll agree that 3D home tours should be standard for every home listed by today’s real estate agents. What are the Types of 3D Tours Used to Sell Homes? What 3D video tours accomplish is...

Professional Photography and 3D Tours Sell Homes Faster and for More

September 10, 2021

It might feel like a no-brainer to state that professional photos and 3D home tours help homes on the real estate market sell faster and for more. But that might surprise you is just how much more and just how much faster. I’ve been selling homes, licensed since 2003, and my team has completed over 2,000 home sales. Not only will I bring national studies to the table in this article, but I can speak from significant personal experience on the subject. Not all professional photography and not all 3D home tours are the same. I also hope to help bring some useful distinction to both. You might be surprised to learn there are 4 different categories of professional real...

Sell your Home with Virtual Staging

April 5, 2021

Given the pandemic, home buyers are increasingly turning to the internet to vet homes before seeing them in person. But while this trend may have intensified due to Covid-19, it didn’t start there. Why see a ton of homes in person when you can filter them by searching online? Prospective buyers, especially millennials, increasingly look toward online photos in their home search. In fact, according to inman.com, 44% of millennials surveyed indicated that they would buy a home solely based on its online photos. Virtual home staging presents a more affordable alternative to traditional home staging, focusing on drumming up online interest. Today we’ll take a look at how virtual home staging works, what it costs in Portland, and how...

Professional Real Estate Photography Sells Homes

September 14, 2020

As a real estate agent, it’s hard for me to name just one thing that sellers MUST do before they list their home for sale. But getting professional photographs of the home is pretty high up on the list. There’s just no arguing with the facts: A well photographed home is a home that sells more quickly, and often for more money.  Professional vs. Non-professional Photos Let’s make a distinction between standard, camera-phone photos and professional photography. The pictures that most real estate agents take are simply inadequate for accurately displaying a home online. Even though high-megapixel smartphone cameras are pretty nice these days, they’re not good enough to replicate professional photography.  Professional photography isn’t just about the high-end camera,...

3D Virtual Tours: The New Standard for Real Estate Sales Everywhere

April 17, 2020

Professional Photography became the Standard in the Last 10 Years I passed my exam and received my license to sell homes in Oregon in 2003. At the time, I was shocked how many real estate agents were still using their cell phones to take dark, blurry pictures of homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. At the time, our local MLS only let you display 8 photos of a home. This was just 17 years ago. Since being licensed our local MLS increased the photo count to 16, and then finally to 32 photos (where it is now). Similarly professional photography went from perhaps a 30% occurrence in 2003, to practically a 90% occurrence in 2020. Now almost every home...

Professional Real Estate Photography – No longer Optional in 2020

November 22, 2019

In the Portland real estate market, professional photos are the expectation and the standard. It is simply no longer acceptable for real estate agents to take terrible photos, nor is it acceptable (in my opinion) for real estate agents to take the photos themselves – use a professional! Also, considering the high-end cameras available on the average smart phone these days, is the term “professional photography” even applicable anymore? Among real estate professionals, the answer is an emphatic “YES”, even from those of us who consider ourselves to be cell phone camera virtuosos.  Study after study shows that using a professional photographer to shoot your home’s listing photos will attract more buyers, generate more buzz around your home, and ultimately,...

Portland Floor Plans Sell Homes

October 10, 2018

Portland buyers these days are more likely than ever to see a floor plan for any given home. That’s because with the new Home Energy Score policy, many homeowners are getting a complimentary floor plan with their energy score and passing it on to potential buyers. Home Buyers Want to See Floor Plans The National Association of Realtors 2017 report on Home Buyers says that 55% of home buyers found floor plans useful, the third most important information home buyers were looking for after pictures and the actual description of the home itself. Floor plan desirability beat out virtual tours, neighborhood information, and more. A floor plan is a bird’s eye view of the home, offering a perspective that’s difficult...

Fact: Professional Photography Sells Portland Real Estate

December 8, 2017

It’s happened to all of us. We see an item in the store, something about it makes us feel great, and we buy it on the spot. Our Portland real estate team has figured out how to capture that “love at first sight” effect to sell homes. How? Picking the right professional photography company to partner with. Because 95% of home buyers search online for their next home (according to the National Association of Realtors), the images they see are going to make the difference between asking their buyers’ agent for a showing and clicking on to the next listing. Here’s another fun fact: According to the Wall Street Journal, home buyers look at photos for three times as long...

When to Use a Drone Video to Sell a Luxury Home

June 12, 2015

Aerial drone videos are a relatively new but powerful marketing tool that can help you sell the right luxury home. Here are two main reasons to use a drone video to help sell your home: 1. If you have an amazing view (like the video below) pictures cannot capture the value of a majestic view. 2. If you have acres of land and a lot of the value is in the property itself, pictures cannot convey the vastness of what you are selling, but a drone video in a short video can. If you don’t have a lot of land or an amazing view, a drone video is pointless. A great professional photo of the exterior of your home is...